Raise a pint…for prostate cancer awareness

For the entire month of November, Arooga’s Sports Bar and Grille is participating in Pints for Prostates, in cooperation with the Pennsylvania Prostate Cancer Coalition (PPCC). For every pint of Illusive Traveler craft beer sold at Arooga’s ten midstate locations, the restaurants will donate $1 towards prostate cancer awareness.

“We’re trying to reach at-risk men in their natural habitat,” says PPCC Executive Director Kristine Warner. “It’s a tough conversation to have for many men, but it’s one they need to have. If we can slide that message in using a cold pint of beer, that’s worthwhile.”

At the Arooga’s location near Hummelstown, patron Jim Haley of Palmyra sat on a stool, sipping a pint of beer.

“I’ve had relatives die from prostate cancer. So, my doctor’s after me all the time for it,” says Haley, who’s in his 60’s. “Particularly with my age, he tells me I should have it done every five or six years, at the most. I’m overdue right now.”

While the Pints for Prostates concept may have served as a reminder for Haley to schedule his next exam, PPCC says its effort would not work if it only targeted men of Haley’s generation. The most recent statistics show that one out of every ten men diagnosed with prostate cancer is under the age of 55. It’s recommended that men of high risk, with a family history of the disease, begin prostate screenings at age 40.

The tap marker for Illusive Traveler depicts a hand with an upright index finger, a symbol that may be more ironic than intentional when combined with a prostate cancer awareness effort. “I think that’s just a coincidence, but it’s fitting,” adds Warner. “You know, we always tell men don’t fear the finger.”